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Move up to the $2,999 base Core i7, though, with its 8GB of RAM, 256GB of PCIe storage and GTX 1050 graphics and the Surface Book 2 makes a lot more sense. It remains a lot of money to pay for a laptop, no matter how multitalented, but if you can see yourself taking full advantage of everything it has to offer, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a truly brilliant machine.

Expert reviews and ratings

If you are a user who needs a discrete GPU for work like 3D rendering or modeling applications, but still wants a relatively thin-and-light machine, the Surface Book 2 is a great option. It's one of the best-built computers I have ever used while providing above average performance, and killer battery life.

Despite those shortcomings, Microsoft has again delivered one of the best 2-in-ls on the market for pro users — it’s a rarity to find a hybrid device that works equally well in both laptop and tablet modes, but the Surface Book 2 achieves it.

Move up to the $2,999 base Core i7, though, with its 8GB of RAM, 256GB of PCIe storage and GTX 1050 graphics and the Surface Book 2 makes a lot more sense. It remains a lot of money to pay for a laptop, no matter how multitalented, but if you can see yourself taking full advantage of everything it has to offer, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a truly brilliant machine.

The Surface Book 2 is an excellent laptop than tries to do a bit too much for its own good. While it excels in a number of areas, it's forced to make a couple of disappointing compromises that stop it from achieving its full potential.

The Microsoft Surface Book 2, just like the generation, is a laptop possessed of a unique set of capabilities. It’s fast and powerful enough to game on, you can comfortably run any application you care to think of on it and the display is good enough for professional-level photo editing, illustration and video editing. You can even sketch and take notes on the screen if you really want to.

The real decision with the Surface Book 2 is whether you need this amount of power, and if you’re willing to spend the cash. If you do, then you’re probably deciding between a MacBook Pro and a Surface Book 2. That’s a decision that’s more about platform preference than hardware, but Microsoft just made it a lot more difficult.

In many areas that Microsoft Surface Book 2 is an unrivaled pro workhorse; a device more versatile than just being a laptop. It further cements Microsoft's position as a hardware manufacturer to be reckoned with and, we suspect, will go down a storm with many creatives as "the ultimate 2-in-1".

Like its larger sibling, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch) is an excellent device, and one of the most powerful 2-in-1 devices we've tested. It has a premium design, excellent features and is a great showcase for Windows 10 - though it comes at a price.